Breaking from Abeyance
by Izzychase
Summary: On a dangerous hunt, Rachel meets John Winchester as the three Winchesters team up together to defeat an enemy with links to their past. Along the way, John comes to terms with his sons and Rachel as they begin the journey to forgiveness. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Breaking From Abeyance

Pairing: Rachel/Dean

Category: Action/Adventure/Angst (some romance)

Feedback: Is certainly welcome! It helps me get my fics out faster too.

Summary: On a dangerous hunt, Rachel finally meets John Winchester and helps Dean come to a realization about his own complicated relationship with his father and his future with Rachel as the three Winchesters team up together to defeat an enemy with links to their pasts.

Timeline: This story is written loosely around the events surrounding the last few episode of Supernatural Season One. Assume One Tree Hill seasons 1-3 occurred the way they normally did. This story roughly follows the events of "Reflections Road" and is in the same canon 'verse. I would suggest reading "Reflections Road" first to gain a sense of the context.

Disclaimer: Eric Kripke owns Dean and Sam from Supernatural, Mark Schwann owns Rachel from One Tree Hill. I obviously don't own anything, so please don't come file litigations.

When Dean hears the name "Daniel Elkin" for the first time, it takes several minutes before it registers. They're in their usual routine: Sam is quickly scanning news headlines for paranormal activity and throwing out possible suggestions, Dean is taking his time to down his coffee before settling into hunting mode, and Rachel is warming her hands on her own mug, listening to the two brothers sort through the news items as she occasionally squeezes Dean's hand and interjects with her own comments. Dean probably doesn't need his extra jolt of caffeine today, though. He's been up since 7 o'clock in the morning, training with Rachel. She's getting better at hand-to-hand combat and while she doesn't have the same physical strength that he and Sam do, she's agile and quick and she keeps him on his toes as they're sparring. He's still recovering from a kick she delivered to his side during their practice session when she had caught him off guard, feinting to the right before delivering the unexpected kick. He can't help but grin in reminiscence at the proud look she had on her face when she had executed that move, and while that kick had hurt, he was proud of her too. With each practice session and hunt he sees her gain more confidence and more skill. Rachel sees him grinning and asks him,

"What're you thinking about?" She gently tilts her head to look at him, and Dean sees that her pretty red hair, lightly curled and wavy at the tips is still a bit damp from their shower together. His grin widens when he remembers their shower this morning- the sex is always better after they've been sparring together and Dean still thinks one of his best ideas to keep his and Rachel's sex life consistent and interesting has been his suggestion to shower together after training. He snaps back to attention when he realizes Rachel's asking him a question and Sam is still waiting for his response.

"Oh, nothing in particular," He replies, resting a hand on her thigh underneath the table and he can observe her subtle flush of the cheeks when he does that, even though she tries to act as nonchalant as possible. "I was just thinking about how we can continue to improve our training sessions together."

Sam can't help but roll his eyes. "Dude, focus for a second and stop lusting after your girlfriend. Did you say that name sounded familiar to you?"

"Yeah," He thinks hard for a couple of seconds, trying to remember where he knows the name from before he reaches for his organizer and flips open to the page. He's actually quite meticulous when it comes to hunting and he's proud that Dad's the one who taught him to gather and record information with a rigour that would impress a librarian. "Daniel Elkins, fellow hunter, resident of Colorado, and he's actually an old friend of Dad's. His specialty is in hunting vampires."

"This Daniel Elkins lived in Colorado, alright," Sam confirms, quickly skimming the article again. "Think this could be the guy?"

"Only one way to find out, Sammy," He tells his brother and Rachel signals for their server to give them the bill. They're so used to this routine by now and they know that they've got to make it to Colorado while the trail's still fresh. He can't shake the feeling that he has- call it a hunter's instinct, but if Daniel Elkins, one of the most trained hunters he has ever known has been killed, there's more lurking beneath this incident than what appears on the surface. He gets an uneasy feeling that Daniel's death may just the beginning of a series of paranormal events that they're just beginning to walk into and this isn't such an open-and-slam shut case like other ones they've dealt with. As they're walking to the Impala, Rachel grabs his hand and holds it in her own. He usually doesn't do this whole handholding thing with girls (well, make it never) but he and Rachel have been together for a little more than a year now, which is the longest relationship he's ever had, and she knows how to communicate with him just by a single touch. She's picked up that he's worried about Daniel and she lightly squeezes his hand when they're walking out the Impala together. He steals a glance at her and she gets it. He doesn't need to tell her he's worried; she can read it in his face. She doesn't need to say anything and he doesn't need to explain anything to her; they're just comfortable and they both understand the other.

*

It's close to midnight when they reach Elkin's house beyond the edges of town. Elkin obviously liked to live in isolation; the last house they had passed was five minutes ago, and Elkin lived by himself in a house hidden in the evergreen trees way deep in his property lot. Dean's seen scenes like this many times before- very little fazes him, but that doesn't mean that he's not careful. The door is ajar, and that's the first sign that something's wrong. He quietly pushes the rest of the door open in order to lead the way. They've all got their gear: he's armed with his gun and flashlight; Sam is shining his flashlight around the house and looking for clues, and Rachel's got a knife tucked into her belt and she's also shining her own flashlight around her, keeping careful watch.

Dean heads straight for Elkin's study. If the hunter wanted to leave any clues behind, they would be there. Dean heads over to Elkin's desk as a force of habit, noting the disarray and the way it looks like a tornado had been through it. The furniture is overturned, the skylights are broken, and the place is an overall mess. In the midst of all the chaos, he spots a notebook amongst Elkin's belongings, and it bears a strong resemblance to the notebook his Dad used to use on hunts. Dean picks it up and holds onto it, deciding that he needs somewhere with better light to go through the entire thing.

"Dean, Rachel, over here," Sam calls. They both go over, noting that Sam's holding an empty gun case. "Doesn't this look odd?"

"Okay, so he took his gun out while he was fighting whoever it was that attacked him," Rachel shrugs, "That's pretty normal, right?"

"Look at the casing, Rachel," Sam replies, holding it closer to Rachel for inspection. "This casing is close to over a hundred years old. Why would he grab an antique gun when he's a hunter that probably has weapons stashed all over his study?"

Rachel concedes the point, knowing that Sam is right this time. She finds that Dean and Sam take every opportunity to teach her, even if it means pointing out her mistakes. She registers the fact in her mind, but continues to look for clues elsewhere in the study. Dean is still looking around, and Sam is examining the case more carefully.

"Dean, look," Rachel interrupted Dean's search, tugging on his elbow. "It looks like someone spilled a lot of salt over here,"

"Like, "oops, I dropped my popcorn" kind of a way or in like a pattern?" He asks her, glancing over at where she's looking.

"Actually, in a, "I'm trying to leave a clue" kind of a way," Rachel replies, "See how the salt is all spread out over here in a circle? I think that must be significant."

He glances swiftly, silently praising her improved skills in observation. "That's a ward circle all right," He agrees. He notices the interesting patterns made with the salt. "Sammy, come here and tell me what you think," He calls out.

"Looks like a message," Sam finally says after joining them and staring at the patterns on the rough hardwood floor made with the salt. The rest of the study looks like it has been ransacked and searched, although for what, none of them are sure.

Dean quickly grabs a piece of paper and a pencil off the desk, rubbing the lead of the pencil on the paper over the patterns on the floor. Rachel and Sam are looking intently while he's doing that, watching as Dean expertly traces the patterns onto the paper.

"It's a postal box and a combination code," Sam speaks first, looking from the piece of paper to Dean.

The two brothers exchange a knowing nod, while Rachel just looks at them both, unsure of what it all means.

"All right, the next thing we're going to look for is the nearest post office," Dean announces, and the three exit Elkin's house as quietly as they came. Dean starts the Impala, and they head into the nearest town. After Sam's internet search, they finally come upon a postal outlet where dozens of mailboxes sit unattended. Using the piece of paper, they locate the correct box and Dean takes out the piece of paper before spinning the combination dial. Not for the first time, Rachel is in admiration of Dean's quickness and sometimes unconventional way of uncovering clues. Her boyfriend may not be exactly the most straight-laced person she knows, and Rachel has never gone for that, but she likes the fact that he knows how to get the job done. After a few more wiggles with the lock, Dean triumphantly opens the box and pulls out the single letter inside. Rachel notices that his face pales when he sees who the letter is addressed to, and she peers around him.

"It's addressed to John Winchester," Dean says in a quiet voice, trying to hide his emotions underneath.

Sam and Dean exchange another set of glances, and Rachel gets a sinking feeling in her heart. She has no doubt now that Daniel Elkins is dead and that this hunt is about to become more complicated than all of them had anticipated.

"Let's go back to the car," Sam says, trying to stay calm. Rachel appreciates that Sam's also picked up from the weird vibes coming from Dean and that he's trying to stay calm. As they walk to the car, Rachel steals a glance at her boyfriend, but his expression is difficult to decipher. She climbs into her spot at the back, and as Dean and Sam are discussing whether or not to open the letter, a knock resounds loudly on the driver's window of the Impala.

"Hi," A voice booms, and after Rachel's heart has decided that it's not going to jump out of her chest, she steals a glance at Dean. He's looking in shock at the grizzled and bearded face of someone she doesn't recognize. His beautiful emerald eyes are filled with confusion, relief, and a little bit of fear. Rachel turns her gaze to the stranger, trying to figure out who it is.

"Dad," Dean whispers.

*

_Author's Note: I've always wanted to break out from my normal genre of friendship and romance fics, so this is my first attempt at writing an action/adventure fic. I will still explore the elements of Dean and Rachel's relationship and the elements of family relationships within the Winchester family, but I also wanted to diversify a bit from simply writing cute R/D fluff. The relationship issues they deal with in this story will be slightly more complex. "Breaking From Abeyance" is a fic set in the "Reflections Road" 'verse and should be read after reading "Reflections Road"_. _Feedback is lovely and helps me get my fics out faster. Thanks! _


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Breaking From Abeyance

Pairing: Rachel/Dean

Category: Action/Adventure/Angst

Summary: On a dangerous hunt, Rachel finally meets John Winchester and helps Dean come to a realization about his own complicated relationship with his father and his future with Rachel as the three Winchesters team up together to defeat an enemy with links to their pasts.

Timeline: This story is written loosely around the events surrounding the last few episodes of Supernatural Season One. Assume One Tree Hill seasons 1-3 occurred the way they normally did. This story roughly follows the events of "Reflections Road" and is in the same canon 'verse.

Disclaimer: Eric Kripke owns Dean and Sam from Supernatural, Mark Schwann owns Rachel from One Tree Hill. I obviously don't own anything, so please don't come file litigations.

Dedication: This chapter goes out to Kara, who's been looking for an update for a while. :) I hope you keep writing "Someone to save you", which is one of my favorite R/D fics!

*

Rachel turns around to look as a middle-aged man suddenly opens the door and climbs into the backseat besides her. He has a grizzled and bearded face and the look of someone who hasn't been able to sleep that well in the past few days. She's heard Dean call him "Dad", but she doesn't find Dean's defined good looks in this stranger's face, nor does she find Sam's kind eyes and expression.

"Who are you?" The stranger turns to look at her in confusion. This question catches Rachel off guard since she's still processing the fact that she's meeting Dean's dad, so she quickly composes herself and manages to say with a bit of poise,

"I'm Rachel."

"What are you doing here?" The next question comes more rapidly, and Dean steps in.

"Dad, Rachel is my girlfriend." Their eyes meet in the rearview mirror for a moment, and Rachel is reassured by how firm and sure Dean sounds.

"Dean," John starts but then decides to let it go. The father and son exchange what seems to be an indecipherable look to Rachel for a moment, and Rachel sees a hint of disappointment in Dean's expression momentarily, and then it's gone.

"Dad, what're you doing here?" Sam finally breaks the slightly awkward silence in the car.

"Daniel Elkins was a friend of mine. He was a good man." John Winchester says briefly by way of explanation, before turning back to Dean in a businesslike manner. "Dean, did you find anything in that postal box?"

Dean wordlessly hands over the envelope they've collected, and Rachel glimpses briefly that this exchange and interaction must be so familiar to both John and Dean, probably a result of years of hunting and working together. John opens the letter and begins to read aloud,

"If you're reading this, I'm already dead..." He reads the rest of the letter in silence, his face growing in concern as he finishes through the letter. After what seems like an eternity, John directs another question to Dean.

"When you were searching his house, did you find Elkins' gun? Did you see an antique gun anywhere? A colt revolver?"

"Sammy saw the case, Dad." Dean replies and John's face seems even grimmer than before.

"If the gun's missing, they must already have it. We've got to pick up the trail." John muttered.

"They?" Sam asked. John gives a swift glance to Sam, as if to say, 'you should know this by now', and simply replies,

"Vampires. Most of the mythology is wrong about them. They aren't scared of garlic but they're fierce creatures and they still need fresh human blood to survive. You won't know it's a vampire until it's too late."

Dean nods as if this makes complete sense to him but Rachel still feels like she's catching up. When she, Dean, and Sam went hunting together, Dean took the time out to train her and to also explain things to her, and Rachel had learned to appreciate that, even if it meant facing a steep learning curve and an occasional overload of information. But now, Rachel just felt like a spectator, seeing as John had basically sidelined her from the conversation. She knew that Dean loved and worshiped his father, but Rachel was beginning to feel a little left out of things. It didn't help that John had a way of barking out brief questions and the entire interaction had more of a military feel than the bantering and collegial feel that she, Dean, and Sam had developed. Seeing as she was still quite out of her depth, Rachel decided to keep quiet and keep observing- for now.

"Wait, I thought they were extinct," Sam stops. John shakes his head to indicate no, and he and Dean seem to have this unspoken agreement. Dean moves his hands towards the keys, but Rachel is just as lost as Sam seems to be. One thing Rachel Gatina has always learned growing up though, was to fake it until you made it, and in this moment, she can keep her cards close to her chest until she can figure out exactly what is going on without showing any outward signs of anxiety or scepticism, unlike Sam.

"It's getting late," John announces gruffly. "Why don't we find a motel and you boys can get some rest. We're going to be hunting vampires and they're a lot tougher than the movies would have you think."

Dean wordlessly starts up the Impala again, and Sam has an unsettled and unhappy expression on his face, but it's subtle. John gives some further directions about where they'll meet up at the motel since he's brought his own truck, and Rachel feels like they've all been dismissed from a class by a teacher. Dean doesn't say anything to her for now; he just has a thoughtful expression on his face. As they drive towards the motel John's mentioned she stares out into the dark night, but she can't help but feel apprehensive and she wishes that Dean wasn't so far away from her, both physically and emotionally at the moment, even if she rarely admitted to needing him like that.

*

Rachel is woken up by a terse exchange by John and Sam. Stirring slightly, she felt Dean's warm arm immediately withdraw from her waist as he gets up from the bed that they've been sharing and Rachel remembers that the three of them had been getting some sleep while John had been sitting intensely at the desk and listening to the radio band.

"We have to go now," John was saying, already putting on his shoes and jacket. Dean shrugs on his jacket like he's done this a thousand times, but he waits for her while she puts her jacket on and double checks that she's got everything she needs. Instead of checking to make sure she has her cell phone and her credit card and her lip stick like she would back in Tree Hill, she's checking to make sure she's got her Swiss Army knife tucked into her belt, the tiny gun in its holster that almost seemed like a toy which was a present from Dean a few months back for completing a difficult hunt, and her cell phone and wallet in her bag, along with a bottle of holy water and her lip gloss, since not all of the old Rachel had been left behind.

John and Sam are still talking about the police call that John's been able to pick up on his radio band, and how it could be the work of vampires. John gives Rachel another undecipherable look, as if trying to observe the dynamics for her and Dean, but Rachel refuses to be intimidated by his stoicism. She had seen John raise his eyebrows slightly when he had seen she and Dean immediately take the same bed (out of habit), and Rachel wondered if he had been even more surprised by how she and Dean were used to snuggling together when sleeping. It was like John was seeing another side of his son that he had never seen before. Rachel snaps back to attention when John asks,

"So we're all ready to go?"

"Yes, sir," Dean replies and Rachel's surprised to hear that. She's never heard Dean be so agreeable to any kind of authority but Rachel supposes that there's a lot of things about her boyfriend's relationship with his father that she doesn't know about. She dutifully follows them out the door, and she can't help but notice that a lot of the tricks in hunting that Dean's picked up are probably from John. She's heard snatches of conversation between Sam and John and Dean about a possible car accident out on a lonely stretch of the highway, an abandoned vehicle, and two missing people. Sam seems doubtful, almost sceptical, and his voice holds a bit more of an edge than usual. Sam is usually the calm one in the group, the one moderating Dean's desire for action and occasional recklessness, and certainly her own impulsiveness and willing to dive into situations, so to see him be the doubtful one certainly throws off the balance of the hunt for Rachel.

An hour or so later, right before the break of dawn, they manage to track down the site. John's off investigating the site of the incident, while the three of them are standing by Dean's Impala. Usually they're all quite hands-on about investigating the scene of a hunt, but they're waiting here on John's instructions. Sam is shaking his head like he can't believe the situation, and Dean is quiet and dutiful, something that Rachel isn't quite used to seeing. She can't read the expression on his face right now- it's as if he's taken the effort to carefully school his features, and this is unusual for Rachel, given that Dean's handsome face is usually so expressive and Dean opens up to her in ways that he's never opened up to anyone. Rachel's shivering slightly in the cold air, drawing her jacket closer around her, and Dean wordlessly moves over closer to her to let her share in his body heat, and her fingers find his and they very quietly hold hands. Rachel wants to talk to him and ask him about why Sam is acting this way, but she gets the sense that Dean isn't really up for talking about it right now, so there isn't much she can do. John's barely said anything to her since they've met up with him, and Dean hasn't been his boisterous and outgoing self since this whole thing started.

"I still don't see why we can't go over there with him," Sam says, eyeing John out of the corner of his eye.

Dean gives an exasperated sigh. "Sam, don't start."

Rachel wants to jump in and say that she agrees with Sam, but she knows Dean well enough by now that this isn't the best time to start an argument with him.

"So, what've you got?" Dean asks John, who's coming back up. He's forgotten that they're still holding hands, so when he swings around to face his father, he's inadvertently displaying their intertwined fingers and John's gaze flicks down again for a moment, and not a second more.

"It was definitely the vampires. We've got to head back west and head around that detour."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam challenges, his normally kind chestnut eyes holding a bit more spark and fire than Rachel's used to seeing.

"Sam," Dean says that one word like a father who's sick of explaining everything, and Rachel hardly ever sees this behaviour from him.

"I just want to know we're going in the right direction," Sam defends himself.

John hands over what looks like a molar over to Dean, who releases his hand from hers to look at the tooth closely. Immediately she feels colder, but she mentally scolds herself and tells herself to concentrate on the hunt and task at hand.

"It looks like a fang," Dean remarks.

"It's just a tooth. The second set descends when they attack," John responds automatically as he's heading towards his truck. "Anymore questions?"

Before John closes the door, he throws one more remark back to Dean.

"Dean, why don't you touch up your car so it doesn't get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I'd known you could ruin it."

Now she sees the eye roll on Dean's part. Dean didn't let anybody talk about his Impala that way, and sometimes Rachel even jokingly wondered if he loved the car more than he loved her. After John drives off, there is quite a visible tension between the three of them left standing there.

Sam's driving the Impala this time, and Rachel's relegated to the back seat as Dean is reading aloud the habits of vampires.

"I guess that's what Dad's thinking," Sam shrugs. Rachel's eyes meet his in the rearview mirror, but Sam looks away.

"Of course that's what he's thinking- that's what Dad told us," Dean's voice is slightly snippy. "So it is starting?"

"What?" Sam's reply is terse.

"Sam, we've been looking for Dad for a whole year and now we've been with him for a couple of hours and there's static already?" Dean replies back. Rachel really doesn't want to be in the middle of a Winchester argument right now so she decides to stay out of it. Of course, since John's joined them, she's felt like she's been pushed out of this as far as possible, and Rachel doesn't like feeling unwanted. It just reminds her of how far behind in hunting she is compared to Dean, and how much harder she has to work just to stay by his side and stay helpful and relevant to him, because deep down inside, she's still afraid that one day he'll realize that he doesn't need her and it's probably more dangerous for him to worry about an amateur and he'll leave her, and that thought breaks Rachel's heart. Every time that kind of thinking enters her mind, she immediately shoves it aside since it's still too painful to deal with- she loves Dean with an intensity and passion that she's never had for anyone, and Rachel knows she would fall apart without him.

She snaps back to attention when she hears her name when Dean and Sam are now talking about John's methods and they're in disagreement.

"He barks orders at us, Dean, and he expects us to follow them without question. He keeps us on some crap need-to-know basis and don't tell me you haven't noticed how he sidelines Rachel? Rachel's never been so quiet in the entire time I've known her and you're just letting Dad sideline her without saying a word." Sam throws back. Dean gives his brother the "don't go there" look. It's been an unspoken rule that the two brothers never put Rachel in the uncomfortable middle and use her as an argument chip ever since Rachel's joined them on the road, and up until now, the rule's never been broken.

"He does what he does for a reason." Dean satisfies himself with that answer, but Rachel suddenly feels hurt. It's bad enough that she's sidelined by John, but Rachel notices how Dean evades the question about her, and that hurts her more than anything.

"What reason?"

"Our job- there's no to argue, alright? There's no margin for error. It's just the way the old man runs his business." Dean defends John, his eyes gazing up in annoyance at Sam.

"We're not kids anymore, Dean, not after everything we've been through. Are you telling me that you're okay with just falling in line and letting him run the whole show?" Sam asks Dean, and Dean's quiet for a moment looking at Sam, before finally responding in a voice that's hesitating between reluctant and sure,

"If that's what it takes."

Several moments later, Dean's gaze meets hers in the rearview mirror, slightly apologetic and ashamed, but Rachel tears her gaze away because she can't bear to look at him right now. Instead, she looks out at the woods outside of her window, trying to blink away the beginning of a tear that's beginning to form.

*


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Breaking From Abeyance

Pairing: Rachel/Dean

Category: Action/Adventure/Angst

Summary: On a dangerous hunt, Rachel finally meets John Winchester and helps Dean come to a realization about his own complicated relationship with his father and his future with Rachel as the three Winchesters team up together to defeat an enemy with links to their pasts.

Timeline: This story is written loosely around the events surrounding the last few episodes of Supernatural Season One. Assume One Tree Hill seasons 1-3 occurred the way they normally did. This story roughly follows the events of "Reflections Road" and is in the same canon 'verse.

Disclaimer: Eric Kripke owns Dean and Sam from Supernatural, Mark Schwann owns Rachel from One Tree Hill. I obviously don't own anything, so please don't come file litigations.

Dedication: I dedicate this chapter to Bru and Mari :)

**Abeyance: **Abeyance is defined as being in a state of suspension and being temporarily set aside and on hold.

*

The vampire known as Luther enters the lair, snorting at the mess that's piled up while he's been away. His usual below-average lackeys are there, and Kate, the vampire he's kept as his primary partner is of average or above average intelligence, and he trusts her to keep the others in line while he's away.

"I've got presents for you," She purrs, leaping into his arms. He lets her kiss him, but he's more interested in what she means by a present. Two humans tied up- that's pretty standard and it doesn't faze him one bit. He gives the other vampires permission to feed- they have no self-control and are guided by their most base instincts, which is why most of them rarely last past a year, let alone an eternity. He leaves the female alone- she's terrified yet defiant, and he thinks she'll keep for a bit longer. Kate takes his hand, leads him over to the desk and shows him a gun that he triggers his memory, but he can't remember where.

"We got this from your old friend, Daniel Elkins," She explains, as he carefully handles the gun.

"What did you do?"

"I made him suffer."

"There are others like him! They'll know the signs and they'll come after us." He's glaring at her now, and he can't believe she would do something so reckless and stupid such as put a bunch of hunters on their trail.

"I've seen this before," He's still enthralled by the antique gun, murmuring to himself and trying to remember why it's so familiar.

"Elkins died with it in his hands." She scoffs. "He should know better- we can't be killed by guns."

"This is no ordinary gun," He tells her, his dark eyes blazing into hers. He can't figure out what the exact enchantment is on the gun, but he knows it's something special when he sees it. Elkins would never have let this gun fall into their hands if he was alive, and one of the reasons why Luther has been able to outsmart hunters and other vampires is that he knows a powerful weapon when he sees it and is willing to bide his time.

He holds the gun up carefully for inspection- someone had died to keep this from him, and Luther wants to know why.

*

"Okay, got it," Dean snaps the phone shut. Sam's still driving, and he still seems angry. He's not the only one off kilter- Rachel's gone very quiet since Dad showed up, and Dean knows that he's in trouble because she's been refusing to look in his direction for the past hour. He glances quickly at his girlfriend in the rearview mirror, but she's staring outside at the window as if she finds the dark night to be the most fascinating thing she's ever seen and she's not returning eye contact. He loves Rachel very much, but he's not about to let one of their fights distract him from the job at hand, especially a job of this importance. He'll try to resolve their relationship issues as soon as he can, but he can't let it throw him off the hunt.

"Pull off at the next exit," He instructs Sam.

"Why?" Sam immediately asks back, his jaw grimly set.

"Because Dad thinks we've got the vampires' trail." Dean simply replies. He can't help but slightly roll his eyes- Dad never gives orders without purpose, and Sammy should know that.

"How?" Sam challenges next.

"I don't know, he didn't say." Orders are all that Dad ever gives, and Dean's always worked with that and been okay with that- he knows that sometimes obeying orders is the quickest and most efficient way to complete a hunt and stay alive, and he's not like Sammy, who has to question and challenge everything. What Sammy (and Rachel, to a certain extent) doesn't understand is that obeying orders implies a sense of trust, and that goes deeper between hunters than anything else.

Sam swerves the car sharply after he turns off the exit, effectively stopping them right in front of John's truck. Dean braces for impact, and sees Rachel do the same. He sees Sam jump out of the car, striding purposefully towards John, and he utters a low curse underneath his breath before jumping out after Sam. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Rachel exit the Impala as well, looking at both of them, unsure as to what's going to happen next.

"We need to talk," Sam yells and he sees his brother and his Dad squaring off, Sam looking defiant, and Dad looking impatient.

"About what?" Dad asks.

"About everything. Where are we going, Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?" Sam demands, and Dean lets out a sigh of frustration.

"Come on, Sammy, we can Q&A about this gun after we hunt all the vampires," Dean tries to get in between them.

"Your brother's right, we don't have time for this," Dad says, trying to put Sam in his place.

"Last time we saw you, you said I was too dangerous to be a part of this. Now you need our help- now obviously something big is going down, and we want to know what!" Sam is yelling now, and without a sound, Dean finds that Rachel's slipped her hand in his. She squeezes his fingers once to reassure him of her presence- usually between the two of them a simple single touch can communicate in place of words, and even though not everything is okay between him and Rachel right now for reasons unknown to him, they can still start with the basics. However, he can feel the nervousness and unease in the way her hand holds his tightly and he knows that she's feeling the tension in the exchange as well.

"Get back in the car," Dad doesn't have much patience left. Dean realizes with a sense of sadness that his father looks much older, and not like the seemingly invincible man he was when Dean was growing up.

"No!" Sam yells back.

"I said, get back in the damn car," Dad is staring Sammy down and Dean's had about enough.

"Okay, you made your point, tough guy," Dean lets go of Rachel's hand to grab Sam by the collar of his jacket. "Look, I know we're all tired and we can talk about this later. Sammy, I mean it."

They start walking back to the car, and Rachel is in perfect step with him. He really needs to take her aside later and fill her in on the complicated Winchester dynamics in more detail, because this is a side of Sam that she rarely ever sees and he's not surprised if it's freaking her out a little right now.

"This is why I left in the first place," He hears Sam mutter, just loud enough for them all to hear.

"What?" Dad turns back around.

"You heard me," Sam says, turning back to John. Dean gives another exasperated sigh. This isn't the time for Sammy to start being aggressive with Dad- it really isn't.

"Yeah. _You_ left. Your brother and me, we needed you. _You _walked away, Sam, _you_ walked away!" Dad throws back.

"Stop it, both of you!" Dean gets in between the two of them again, separating them before the situation gets even more ignited than it is now.

"You were the one who said 'don't come back', Dad!" Sam yells again, his angry voice resonating through the dark woods and into the night, the pain and anguish in his voice clear for all to hear. "You're the one who closed the door, not me! You were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore!"

Dean tries to pull them apart again.

"All right, stop it, stop it- that's enough!" He manages to break them up this time and he turns to his father with a disappointed look on his face. "That means you too."

He watches as Sam and Dad stalk angrily back to the cars and Sam is impatiently waiting to drive off.

"Terrific." He throws his hands up in exasperation. He's almost forgotten that Rachel's still standing there when she comes up beside him and rubs the tense spot at the back of his neck lightly and her fingers feel refreshing and cool against his skin. It's very dark outside but he's impressed that she knows exactly where to touch him to calm him down.

"I'm sorry you had to watch this, babe," He sighs, taking her hand in his. Her hand feels comforting in his, and he knows that there are still some things they need to sort that out- but right now he just needs to know that not everyone's losing it and he definitely needs her strength to bolster him up right now.

"I've never seen Sammy so angry before," Rachel says softly as they're walking back to the Impala. Dean gives a sigh, simply saying,

"Sammy and Dad have their own issues- mainly around when Sam left to go to college and I don't understand everything that went down between them but in some ways they're just as complicated as the ones I have with Dad."

After that sentence, Dean is reminded that his relationship with Rachel is now another one of the unresolved issues he has with Dad. While Sam had pointed it out, Dean had also noticed that Dad had never actually talked to Rachel since he got here and Dean feels slightly torn- on the one hand, Dad's always been used to working alone and the thought of even bringing a civilian along a hunt is a completely unworkable concept, but on the other hand, Dean loves Rachel deeply. When she had told him in Tree Hill that she would give up her normal civilian life to be with him, Dean had been touched that she would love him enough to sacrifice her chance of a safe and stable life for him and for them. Reminded, he starts,

"Babe, I know Dad hasn't exactly been the most welcoming to you,"

Rachel snorts sarcastically, and Dean holds her hand even tighter.

"Rachel, just please give him some time, okay? I don't have time to explain everything about us to him now, but just be patient, okay? When we have a moment to have a real discussion that doesn't involve Sammy and Dad fighting, I will get a chance to explain." His voice is slightly quieter as he's pleading with her. He turns around to look at her, and he sees the hurt in her chocolate brown eyes and he wishes things could be different. He knows Sam's waiting for them in the Impala, but he gives her a quick kiss anyways on the lips.

"I love you," He can't think of anything else to say to her at the moment. What he really wants to do is to talk to Dad and explain how Rachel's earned her place by his side and in his life, and to properly introduce them in a setting that doesn't involve tracking down vampires and playing referee between Sammy and Dad. He wants to tell his Dad how happy Rachel makes him and he wants to tell him that he gave Rachel Mom's bracelet and why. He sees her eyes soften as they look into his own and the smallest of smiles gracing her lips as she nods in acceptance. He squeezes her hand one more time before opening the door of the Impala so Rachel can go back into the back seat before climbing in himself. He just can't seem to conjure up that blind and accepting faith in his father that he used to have, for some reason. As he looks out into the blackness that surrounds them, no longer seeing Rachel by his side, it suddenly feels a lot colder and a lot more lonely. It's going to be a long night.

*

The early morning air is crisp and cold as they crouch in the nearby shrubbery and tall grasses, watching the abandoned barn that's become the lair of the vampires. Dad is beside him, watchful and alert as ever, his dark brown eyes expertly taking in all the relevant details and filing them away in his mind. Sammy is on the other side of Dad, keeping watch as well, and Dean's glad to see that he's calmed down a bit- it's also too early in the morning and too cold to be arguing. Rachel is beside him, the hand at her hip holster steady as her chocolate brown eyes keep scanning the perimeter- he's quietly proud that she's been able to keep up the watch along all three of them, despite not being a hunter for most of her life. She no longer seems to be so angry with him, and Dean is relieved for that- he hates it when they fight and it really just complicates the hunt when they do. It's become their policy that they would at least agree to talk about whatever issue they're trying to resolve after the hunt so that neither of them are getting distracted by the emotional drama that accompanies their arguments.

They spy a vampire opening the door and looking around outside.

"So they're really not afraid of the sun?" He asks, glancing once back at Dad.

"Direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn. The only way to kill them is by beheading." Dad answers back. "They sleep during the day, but it doesn't mean they won't wake up."

"So I guess walking right in isn't the best option," He muses.

"Actually, that's the plan."

Dean thinks it's a bit risky, but with Dad as an additional hunter, he's more confident about their chances. In the first several months, he and Sam were the ones to preach caution to Rachel, but now she's hunted with them long enough to not take reckless risks and every single time Rachel's made a reckless move he's scolded her for it. Sometimes it's even worse because she's his girlfriend and he loves her so much that he's harsher with her than he normally would be with anyone else. However, there's no hint of reckless and impulsive response in Rachel's face when he and Sammy and Rachel are loading up with machetes and he calls back out to Dad,

"Dad, I got an extra machete for you." Even in these simple gestures, he's always been the dutiful son.

"Think I'm okay, but thanks," Dad glances back, the smallest of smiles barely touching his lips, and Dean's eyes simply widen at the length of the machete that Dad's unsheathed from its case.

Dad pauses for a moment, leaning against the truck.

"So you boys really want to know about the Colt?" He asks.

They all nod.

"It's just a story, a legend really- never really believed it until I read Daniel's letter. Back in 1835, when Hailey's comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo, they say Samuel Colt made a gun- a special gun. He made it for a hunter- a man like us, only on horseback. They say he only made 13 bullets; this hunter used half a dozen of them before he disappeared, and the gun along with him. Somehow Daniel got his hands on it."

Dad looks down for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.

"They say that this gun can kill anything."

"Kill anything like supernatural anything?" He clarifies.

"Like the demon," Sam realizes.

"Yeah, the demon- ever since I picked up its trail, I've been looking for a way to destroy that thing." Dad looks just as serious as Dean's ever seen him, and he continues. "Find the gun, and we may have it."

Rachel puts a hand on his back and rubs slow circles and this calms Dean's racing heart. She looks at him with concern, and he makes eye contact with her, and he knows she understands. That's all that's said between everyone now- Dad motions with his head towards the barn, and they file single suit, barely making a noise in the grass.

Dad enters first, then Sam, then Rachel, and then Dean himself, shutting the window of the barn that they've opened. Dad quickly picks a direction and heads off, while Dean and Sam and Rachel stay together at first. Sam then picks his own trail, leaving Rachel with him. He never lets Rachel out of sight during hunts, so they tiptoe together throughout the barn. The vampire lair is disgusting and messy, but he's not surprised and by now, neither is Rachel.

"Dean," Sam whispers, and he sees Sam crouching beside a girl who's tied up to a pole, looking at the knots and trying to figure out how to best untie her. Rachel wordlessly tugs at his arm, and he sees her pointing to a cage where other human captives have been bound and gagged. Her expressive eyes portray compassion for the captives and she unknowingly brings a hand to her mouth when she sees how callously they've been treated. Dean wants to bring her into his arms and whisper that they'll all be okay, but he doesn't know that and he can't promise that. Instead, he starts searching along the surface of the cage for the padlock and for a way to get them out. As he's figuring out the mechanism, a shrill scream interrupts them all. It turns out the girl tied to the pole isn't so helpless after all. Collectively, the entire nest of vampires becomes alive and they're all running out of the barn for their lives, Dad included. He checks to make sure Rachel is with him and they sprint outside, all the way back into the woods where they've parked the Impala and the truck.

"They won't follow," Dad announces as he comes to a stop. Without needing to ask, he knows that Dad didn't manage to get the gun. "They'll wait until it's dark- but once a vampire has your scent, it's for life."

They all exchange glances, realizing the significance of those words. Dean quickly reaches out for Rachel, and they stand there, holding hands together tightly with their fingers intertwined and this time, he notices that his Dad doesn't glance away when he sees that.

"I hope you guys are ready to head to the funeral home," Dad smiles ruefully at his bad joke, and Dean sees Rachel give him a slightly puzzled look. Suddenly, a piece of knowledge he's filed away comes back to him- they're going for dead man's blood. Dean nods.

"Sammy, why don't you go back with Dad? Rachel and I can take care of this one." Dean finds himself giving orders for the first time since this hunt began, and he sees his Dad slowly nod in agreement. Sammy and Dad head back towards the truck, and Dean quickly turns to Rachel.

"Baby, are you hurt?" He asks her, looking over her carefully to make sure she's not injured in any way.

"I'm a bit startled, but I'm not hurt." She responds back, her lips quirking up into a smile at him. She leans in and gives him a quick kiss on the lips, touched by his thoughtfulness. He breathes a sigh of relief, and as they walk towards the Impala, hand in hand, Dean feels that despite the fact that the hunt has just gotten more dangerous, the way Rachel's hand feels warm and comforting in his calms Dean down enough to get him focused again.

He opens the door for her on the passenger side, and she thanks him as she gets in. He goes back to his side, and Dean sees Rachel begin to type in a search in Sammy's laptop for the closest funeral parlour. He starts the Impala, and as he drives out of the lonely and desolate woods towards the highway into town, he takes another glance over at Rachel, and she doesn't seem as upset as she was earlier. Things still aren't perfect between them at the moment, and Dean vows that at the earliest opportunity he'll try to fix that, but with he and Rachel spending some time alone together again, at least it's a start towards healing.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Breaking From Abeyance

Pairing: Rachel/Dean

Category: Action/Adventure/Angst

Summary: On a dangerous hunt, Rachel finally meets John Winchester and helps Dean come to a realization about his own complicated relationship with his father and his future with Rachel as the three Winchesters team up together to defeat an enemy with links to their pasts.

Reviews: Are awesome and make me a happy writer!

Timeline: This story is written loosely around the events surrounding the last few episodes of Supernatural Season One. Assume One Tree Hill seasons 1-3 occurred the way they normally did. This story roughly follows the events of "Reflections Road" and is in the same canon 'verse.

Disclaimer: Eric Kripke owns Dean and Sam from Supernatural, Mark Schwann owns Rachel from One Tree Hill. I obviously don't own anything, so please don't come file litigations.

*****

They pull into a nearby town that has a funeral home, and Dean wisely parks at least a block away from it so that if he's spotted, they won't be able to read his license plate number before he has a chance to run. Dean's explained this to her before. They circle the block where the funeral home is located, and Rachel notices that there's a security guard doing his rounds at the front. It's a typical funeral home in the county, not a particularly spectacular or amazing piece of architecture, but with enough dignity to give the proper last rites and to serve the needs of this rural town.

"I know where they store the blood, so this should be pretty easy. I just have to time it so that the security guard doesn't finish his round and discovers me trying to jimmy the lock or that would be _very_ awkward." Dean's back in hunting and planning mode, and _this_, this is familiar to Rachel. Sometimes she and Dean and Sam would split up and she would go with Dean and they would complete parts of the hunt together, working together and occasionally bickering. Rachel sees Dean watching the security guard do his rounds, trying to time his move, his handsome face focused in concentration. He hasn't gotten the chance to shave in the past two days, and he's got a little bit of stubble that adds a rugged and manly appeal to him. She must admit that for all of John's shortcomings in social graces, he has taught his son really well and Rachel is really starting to see where Dean gets his knowledge from and the physical genes John and Mary passed to their son aren't bad either.

"I have a better idea," Rachel smirks. Dean turns to her for a second, his eyes widening slightly as he watches her pull off her jacket and her sweater to show a scoop-necked tank top in a flattering deep green that brings out the bright red of her hair. She tugs the neckline of the tank top down until more of her cleavage is showing. She decides to put the jacket back on, but leave it unbuttoned. Dean simply raises his eyebrows- he's watched her do this before on a couple of other hunts, and while he admits it's a bit under-handed, it's effective. In those situations, Rachel has no qualms about using her sexuality- she uses every tool in the toolbox to get the job done and she knows that it works.

She gets out of the Impala, sashaying and swinging her hips as she walks to the funeral home, knowing that Dean will be following at a reasonable distance behind her. She walks up to the security guard, putting on the flirtatious smile she always gives Dean and she sees him giving her the once over. He's not too bad looking, young and in his twenties, clearly only taking this job until he finds a way out of this small town, and Rachel doesn't envy him.

"I'm a bit lost," She begins and she sees his gaze lingering on her chest. She wants to roll her eyes- all guys really are the same, including her boyfriend.

"Yeah?" His voice comes out a bit dry. "What are you looking for?"

"You see, I'm trying to get back to the I-5 but I took a wrong turn at Kent Road, and ended up on this street."

From the corner of her eye, she sees Dean stealthily disappear behind the building, and she keeps the security guard distracted for a few more minutes, pretending to not understand the instructions, flipping her bright red hair back over her shoulder, and bringing out all the tricks from the Rachel Gatina handbook on flirting until she sees Dean quietly exit with the jar of dead man's blood in his hands. He stealthily moves off the premises and Rachel knows that her job is done. She wants to get out of here, now, but she doesn't want it to look suspicious. After he repeats his instructions for the third time, she nods as if she's finally getting it.

"Oh, so I make a left at Gravely and drive past the stop sign, it should be the second turn. Thank you so much!" She gives him a wide grin, and she sees him hesitate.

"Hey, if you want to grab a drink before you leave we can stop in town for a bit and I can show you around," He lamely offers, but Rachel shakes her head.

"I should probably get going, but thanks for your help."

With that she sashays back until she's out of sight, and then she jogs back to the Impala.

"Got it?" She asks Dean as she drops into the seat. Dean simply holds up the jar and then reaches for his car keys. Rachel takes her jacket off and picks up her sweater again- she doesn't mind showing that much cleavage, but it was pretty cold outside.

"Did he offer to drive you back to his apartment instead of the highway?" Dean smirks, his own emerald gaze lingering on her chest for a bit.

"Yep," Rachel smirks back- it feels familiar to be back in the Impala with her boyfriend.

"I think I could see the drool even from where I was breaking in and let me tell you, baby, he was not looking at your face for that conversation." Dean sounds slightly envious, so Rachel puts down her sweater and pulls him in for a kiss. She makes it deep and slightly dirty, smiling against his lips when she hears him moan.

"I think wearing my lacy black bra today was a nice touch, don't you?" She grins mischievously and Dean lets out what sounds like a low growl.

"I hope you didn't give him a sneak preview," He answers. "I love that bra- you look damn hot in it, and out of it too, for that matter."

"I only model bras for one guy now, Dean Winchester, and that would be you," She purrs in her flirtatious voice, but she still means it. Rachel didn't ever believe in soul mates, and she's not sure if she does now, but she knows that she will be with Dean for a very long time and he's the only guy she's ever wanted to commit to. She has no desire to be intimate with any other guy after what she has with Dean.

"Damn right," Dean whispers against her lips. "Babe, it's been a while,"

His hands linger at her waist, not wanting to let go. Their foreheads are still touching, emerald eyes gazing into chocolate brown ones, and they know they have to get back, but neither of them really want to in this moment. It's only been two days since John Winchester's been back but it feels much longer than that. She holds onto him, almost as if afraid that once she lets him go he'll go back to being the near stranger he is when he's around John.

"I wonder if things will always be like this with your Dad around," She says softly, voicing her thoughts out loud. She wonders if they've permanently lost the camaraderie she, Dean, and Sam used to share.

"Always like what?" He asks.

"Well, all of us hunting together, I guess." Rachel leaves it at that- she knows that this topic is still sensitive and she's not ready for another fight with Dean about this.

"I hope he can stay this time," Dean says softly. "I've been looking for him for two years. Now that we've found him, I think that there's a really good reason for everything that's happening right now."

When Rachel hears that, she's reminded that underneath the tough and cynical shell that the rest of the world sees is a Dean who genuinely wants to hope and believe and keep fighting the good fight. She can't help the feeling of love that springs into her chest when he says that. She tugs him a bit closer to her, wishing that she could be a better person, and not be so insecure and needy of his reminders that he does love her and able to put her own feelings of insecurity aside for the greater common good that unites her with the Winchesters. She's come a long way from being the selfish and spoiled girl she was, but that doesn't mean that the old Rachel is completely gone.

"I want that for you too," She tells him softly, before confessing, "I just wish I didn't get the feeling from him that he doesn't approve of me."

"Baby, he's not used to letting anyone else in. After Mom died, it was Dad, Sammy, and me. It's always been this way and he's never allowed himself to get attached to anyone else and neither have I. It's how the old man operates and he's not used to..." Dean trails off.

"He's not used to me being with you and coming along?" Rachel finishes the sentence off for him.

"Dad's observant- he's seen you hunt with us now and he's seen us together. He's seen that bracelet on your wrist- he knows it's serious between us." Dean chuckles softly. "I never thought I would be saying that things would be serious with a girl before I met you."

Rachel chuckles alongside him because she knows that it's the exact same for her. However, she stops for a moment and is quiet, before saying softly,

"He must miss your mother very much and when he sees us it must be difficult for him,"

She meets Dean's gaze with her own, and the honesty and vulnerability in his emerald green eyes stands out clearly in the afternoon light, and he looks at her with more emotion than she's seen in him in the past couple of days before he nods. He pulls her close to him, and they stay locked in an embrace for a very long time before Dean pulls away, his voice hoarse.

"God, Rachel, when you came into my life it changed everything. I want you both in my life because you, Dad, and Sammy mean the most to me and I don't want to lose any of you, not now, and not ever. The fact is, Rachel, you are a part of my life and I found in you everything that I want in a girl, but I don't want to be throwing this in his face and reminding him of everything he lost. I found both of you and I can't bear losing either of you."

He's blinking away unshed tears, and Rachel slowly rests her hand gently on his stubbled cheek, gazing into his eyes. She forgets about her own insecurities, she forgets about her doubts and longings for acceptance, and she focuses on Dean.

"I think he loves you very much and wants you to be happy." She says softly to him and she gives him a gentle kiss, looking into his eyes. "Don't ever apologize for finding what he wants for you."

They share in that silent moment together, drawing strength from one another and then Dean gives a resolute nod. His emerald eyes silently thank her and he gives her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Babe, I don't know what it is, but you and I have more chick flick moments than Sammy and I have," He chuckles fondly. "And I remember that you said when we first met that you don't do relationships or other types of chick flick stuff,"

Rachel chuckles along with Dean- New York feels so very long ago and she was a different person back then and she knows that he was too.

"Well, I won't tell anyone if you don't tell anyone," Rachel jokes. "After all, I do have a reputation."

"So do I," Dean scoffs jokingly. Their eyes meet and they exchange a simple smile. Rachel feels better already- spending time with him helps her remember that despite the changes that John's arrival has introduced into their lives, she and Dean still have a meaningful relationship that's stood the challenges of being on the road together and hunting for a year.

"I hope that you and your Dad do get a chance to talk though," Rachel says softly, reaching over to hold Dean's hand in her own, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. She keeps eye contact with him, letting him know how sincerely she means it.

"Yeah, I do too," Dean sighs, squeezing their joined hands together. "We have a lot to talk about when we do."

He checks his watch. "We should be getting back."

Rachel nods, and mentally prepares herself for the next part of the hunt and for the next encounter with John. The ironic thing was that although the supernatural was more dangerous, there was often a relatively black and white moral dimension to it- usually ghosts avenged crimes against them in their lifetime, demons were simply evil for no other reason, and vampires killed to feed; learning to deal with the human aspects of the life was more complicated and more demanding. Humans, with their feelings and emotions; multi-faceted relationships with one another; mixed motives clouding every single move; different worldviews and ideologies clashing together; and diverse life experiences that shaped and affected them in ways deep beneath the surface were the most complicated.

Take John, for instance. Rachel had no doubt that he loved his sons deeply and would do anything to protect them, but in his own pain around Mary's death ended up isolating Dean and Sam in subtle ways that now affected their adult lives. She could now see the emotional and psychological effects of John's single-minded crusade on Dean and Sam. While Sam was more vocal and expressed his feelings verbally, because Rachel knew Dean so well, she knew that there was more hidden beneath Dean's unquestioning obedience to his father and refusal to accept criticism about John. And she couldn't be in a position to harshly criticize the Winchesters either because she had experienced the own brokenness of her family situation and growing up with absentee parents for most of her teenage years. While she didn't like how John could so casually brush her aside with his refusal to involve her in the hunt by only speaking with Dean and Sam, she couldn't find it in her heart to hate him- not simply because he was Dean's dad, but because she could now see clearly the driving force behind his manner. It wasn't callousness or indifference, but being too focused on a single objective and ignoring everything else around him, including the pain of others.

Rachel mused with those thoughts as Dean quietly drove back to the motel in the next town that they had all checked into, the forested landscape passing by them. Seeing the pensive look on Dean's face, Rachel guessed that he was arranging his own thoughts and mulling things over in his mind. Rachel rarely did this unless she and Dean were sharing the backseat and Sam was driving the Impala, but she moved over and rested her head on Dean's shoulder as he drove. Dean shifted a bit to accommodate her, his lips forming a small smile as he kept his eyes on the road, and Rachel simply enjoyed the closeness between them that needed no words to express.

*

"They shouldn't be taking this long," Sam mutters as he paces anxiously in yet the third motel room they're staying in during the past three days. "I should go help them."

"Dean's got it," John says, without looking up from his journal. Sam wheels around in disbelief for a moment.

"It's Dean and Rachel, Dad." He corrects his father.

Dark brown eyes finally look up from the journal. An undecipherable look crosses John Winchester's face.

"I know." He admits quietly. He rubs his face for a moment. "I'm not trying to be mean to the girl, Sammy. It's just that it's always been the three of us and sometimes I forget that things have changed, that _Dean_'s changed."

"Dean's really happy with Rachel," Sam says softly. "I wasn't too sold on the idea of her coming with us because it's so dangerous, but somehow, Rachel's made her way into this and she _is _a part of the hunt. Dean is still mostly the same Dean, but he's got someone that he really cares about now. And they're really good for each other- I thought at first that she was just another one of Dean's flings but she's really good for him and I've ended up becoming friends with Rachel too."

Sam chuckles at the irony for a moment- he was never friends with girls like Rachel Gatina in high school or in university but now she's the only person, besides Dad and Dean who understand what his life is like.

"Yes, it does seem like he cares about her very much," John muses. "I noticed that he even gave her your mother's bracelet. I told him to hold onto that until he found the right person."

"I've never seen Dean so happy before, Dad." Sam admits. "Sure, they fight and argue like everyone else- well, those two are also the most stubborn people I've met and I hate it when they fight because they're both so opinionated, but he really loves her and he's really happy with her."

Sam stops because he's just reminded of Jessica, so he resumes pacing around the room.

"Sammy," John starts.

"Yeah," Sam turns around, his hands still in his pockets, in a mid-step.

"I don't think I ever told you this," John says with a small self-depreciating chuckle, "But the day you were born, you know what I did?"

"No," Sam replies a bit curtly. He still doesn't completely know how to handle his Dad right now.

"I put a hundred bucks into a savings account for you. I did the same thing for your brother. I put another hundred bucks in that each month until..."

John trails off and Sam doesn't need to ask about the rest of the sentence because he already knows.

"Anyway, my point is, Sam, is that this was never the life I wanted for you."

"Then why did you get so mad when I left?" Sam challenges.

"After your mother passed, all I saw was evil." John's making eye contact with him now, "Everywhere. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you, prepared, ready. Somewhere along the line, I, uh, stopped being your father, and I became your drill sergeant."

That confession takes Sam so off-guard that he takes a seat across from where his father is sitting, the anger that was in his eyes slowly vanishing.

"When you wanted to go away to school, my only thought was that you were going to be alone." John confesses.

"Alone?"

"Sammy, it just never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn't accept the fact that you and me, were just different." John looks rueful.

"You and me, we're not different." Sam admits, looking at his father without a look of anger for the first time since John has arrived. He looks down, remembering Jessica and gives a bitter laugh. "Not anymore. With what happened to Mom and Jess, we probably have a lot more in common than anyone. And Dean never ever talks about this, but he's terrified of the same thing happening to Rachel. I'm pretty sure that Rachel is aware of this on some level, but it's not something that either of them really talk about."

They are both silent for a moment, and then Sam decides to change the subject,

"Hey, Dad? Whatever happened to that college fund?"

"I spent it on ammo." John confesses, and both father and son chuckle and in that motel room in the waning sunlight, the first step of reconciliation occurs.

They are both interrupted by Dean's opening of the door, Rachel following right behind him.

"Get it?" John asks, and he permits a smile as Dean hands over the jar to him.

"Yeah, some interesting security protecting a bunch of dead guys, but Rachel handled herself quite well." Dean gives Rachel a salacious wink. Even though the situation is serious, both exchange a smile. John places the jar onto the table in front of Sam, and Dean and Rachel edge closer. John looks conspiratorially up at all of them, including Rachel, and Rachel feels like she finally belongs here for the first time in several days.

"Here's what we're going to do..."

*

Vampires mainly hunt at night, so the trap is set when the sun disappears across the horizon and is replaced by the blanket of night. In position, Rachel, John, and Sam stealthily crouch behind enough vegetation near the creek so as to not betray their position and to throw off any of their scent. Dean is standing alone near the Impala with the hood up, the perfect image of a stranded traveller.

"Car trouble?" A dark haired female with jeans and a long-sleeved tee with a denim vest over top gives a toothy grin as she asks. From where Rachel is crouching, she can't help but roll her eyes- one would think that having all the time in the world with immortality would compel a vampire to put together an attractive outfit. Despite the fact that it was impractical to wear designer clothes now, Rachel Gatina still knew her fashion and had clothing items of good but practical quality, and she knew that this female vampire was definitely in need of a makeover, amongst other things. "Let me give you a lift- take you back to my place."

"Nah, I think I'll pass," Dean smirks, the laugh barely hidden on his lips. "Usually I draw the line at necrophilia."

The slap across his face is harsh and Rachel's grip upon her crossbow is even harder as she watches the female vampire grip Dean's face with one hand upon his chin and practically lifts him into the air. She knows this is part of the plan, but that doesn't mean she likes watching her boyfriend get assaulted, so Rachel tries to focus her concentration on what she has to do. She sees the a male vampire join the female at the Impala.

"I thought this would more be like the second date," Dean manages to quip, despite being suspended several inches off the ground.

"No, but I like to make new friends," The female vampire purrs. "We can have some fun."

She forces her mouth upon Dean's and Rachel's gripping the crossbow so hard that it hurts.

"Sorry," Dean says to her. "I got a chick that I'm already committed to,"

Before the female vampire can respond, the sounds of two crossbow bolts being shot through the air are heard and a second later, these bolts pierce into the two vampires.

"Nice shot, Rachel," Sam compliments as the three of them emerge from behind the trees and bushes. Sam himself is quite proud of accurately aiming the shot meant for the male vampire.

"Darn it, it barely even stings," The female vampire manages to get out drowsily as she stumbles to regain her footing, but before she does, Rachel's crossed over with quick steps and slaps her, sending her reeling back a few paces.

"That was for trying to kiss my boyfriend, you disgusting dead trailer park princess," Rachel follows that remark with a resounding backhand slap, "And _that_ was for trying to hurt him."

Dean can't help but chuckle at his feisty girlfriend and John chuckles as well before he drawls to the female vampire,

"It's dead man's blood, sweetheart. It's like poison to you, isn't it?" He turns to his sons and Rachel. "Load her up, and I'll take care of this one."

Dean and Rachel manage to carry the unconscious female vampire with Sam's help to John's truck while John turns his attention to the male vampire, helpless to do anything but glare in hatred. The sound of the machete sings through the air as John beheads him in one fell stroke and Rachel can't help but wince at the sight.

"This stuff stinks," Sam complains as they head over to the fire that John's prepared, and Rachel is inclined to agree.

"That's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes and it'll keep us from being detected until we're ready," John explains, and the three of them cover themselves with ashes as necessary.

"Sure they'll come after her?" Rachel asks and she's reaching into her pocket to hand Dean a stick of gum. She adds to Dean, "Don't even think about kissing me until you get rid of vampire ho-bag breath,"

Dean can't help but give a slight roll of his eyes as he wordlessly accepts the gum from Rachel but he gives her a fond smile that goes noticed by everyone.

"Vampires mate for life," John explains. "He'll come for her. We don't have much time though, before she wakes up. Half hour ought to do it. Then I want you out of here as fast you can."

"But, Dad, can you take care of this by yourself?" Dean's not sure.

"I'll have her and the Colt," John says grimly.

"But after, we'll meet up, right?" Sam asks. "Use the gun, _together_, right?"

John's silent and all three of them are pretty sure of the answer.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Sam's tone is slightly accusatory again. "You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this- like we're children."

"You are my children," John responds and Rachel reaches for Dean's hand wordlessly and squeezes it lightly, being able to tell from his body language that this is another conversation that's not going to be easy to have. "I'm trying to keep you safe.

"Dad, with all due respect, that's a bunch of crap," Dean declares, to Rachel's surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"You know that Sammy and I and Rachel have been hunting? We've been hunting the same things you've been hunting and we're with you right now. That's not about keeping us safe." Dean doesn't back down and Rachel is silently proud of him.

"It's not the same thing, Dean," John tries.

"Then what is it? Why do you want us out of the big fight?" Dean challenges.

"This demon is a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive."

"You mean you can't be as reckless," Dean scoffs.

"Look, I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece." John's voice is quiet and his face is sad. "Your mother's death... it almost killed me- I can't watch my children die too. I won't."

John shakes his head and Rachel's heart go out to him, so she only squeezes Dean's hand harder in response.

"What happens if you die? Dad, what happens if you die and we could've done something about it?" Dean asks before he tells him, "You know, I've been thinking that maybe Sammy's right about this and we should do this as a family."

With that, Dean makes eye contact at his Dad, at Sammy, and at Rachel, and Rachel sees the confident nod and knows that things between her and Dean are all right again.

"We're stronger as a family, Dad," Dean squeezes Rachel's hand as he makes eye contact with his father. "We're stronger as a family, and you know it."

As Rachel sees the confidence and the assurance in Dean's look, Rachel knows that she's got her Dean back. She knows that this is the Dean that she would follow to hell and back and would risk her life and give up everything for and she's never been more proud of him. She draws her poise up and stands proudly beside him in a show of love and support and she looks at John, only to find a small smile on his face as he looks at her and Dean together. He doesn't have to say anything, but Rachel feels like an enormous tension has just been lifted. Sam steps closer to Dean and to John, closing the circle around the four of them, silently in support.

"All right," John concedes, but not reluctantly. "We're running out of time though. You do your job and then you get out- and that's an order." He adds.

They all breathe a collective sigh of relief and Dean's never looked prouder of himself and of his father. John steps forward a pace, to Rachel's surprise, and places a hand on Dean's arm briefly. Father and son share an unspoken moment between them, the exchange needing no words, and then John turns to Rachel.

"Take care of my son, Rachel," is the only thing he says, but Rachel understands. She nods solemnly and she tells him,

"You know I will." The gaze she gives back to himis unashamed and unafraid and she holds the gaze until John nods, before making his way to Sam and grasping onto his arm. Sam gives his father a smile and nods, not as stoic as Dean.

Beside them, Dean looks down at Rachel and finds only strength and love and acceptance in her gaze. He takes her right hand and clasps it in both of his, and she steps closer to him.

They're finally in the hunt with an upper hand now, and they're all in this together as a team and as a family.

*

_Author's Notes: And Rachel finally starts to show some sparks in this chapter! I knew that I like to be realistic about her progression as a hunter, but being the fiery Rachel that we all know and love, it was just a matter of time before she starts kicking butt and taking names. I loved the Rachel of this chapter and I hope you did too. :) _


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Breaking From Abeyance

Pairing: Rachel/Dean

Category: Action/Adventure/Angst

Summary: On a dangerous hunt, Rachel finally meets John Winchester and helps Dean come to a realization about his own complicated relationship with his father and his future with Rachel as the three Winchesters team up together to defeat an enemy with links to their pasts.

Timeline: This story is written loosely around the events surrounding the last few episodes of Supernatural Season One. Assume One Tree Hill seasons 1-3 occurred the way they normally did. This story roughly follows the events of "Reflections Road" and is in the same canon 'verse.

Disclaimer: Eric Kripke owns Dean and Sam from Supernatural, Mark Schwann owns Rachel from One Tree Hill. I obviously don't own anything, so please don't come file litigations.

_Abeyance_ is defined as being in a state of hold or in suspension.

*

"Any sign of those humans?" Luther asks as the group of vampires assembles at their pre-arranged meeting spot. They're looking slightly demoralized and he inwardly curses their weakness- this is no time to lose control and composure.

"No, but they cut off Hank's head," One of them gasps, clearly out of breath and clearly panicking. Luther knows not to show weakness now- these humans are trickier than he thought but he stays calm, forcing himself to draw upon his experience. Then he remembers that Kate isn't back and she's not with them.

"What about Kate?" He can't help but ask about his mate.

"I don't know- she wasn't there. What're we going to do? I did see a truck go up that highway."

"Kate," Luther whispers, able to detect her presence in the darkness. "She's in that truck."

*

The vampire known in his previous life as Joe is left along with a few others guarding the vampire nest while Luther and the other lead vampires are away. Joe isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knows that when Luther wants him to stay, he's going to stay. With nothing to do but to watch the tied up humans and wait for the others to return he's about to settle down for a game of Solitaire when he hears knocking on the door.

"I thought you said you weren't going to be back so soon," He can't help but grumble as he opens the door.

Dean Winchester is standing on the other side, Sam and Rachel flocking him on either side.

"Boo," Dean says simply, machete raised- the door slams, and the cleaning of the nest begins.

While Sam and Dean take the lead in killing the remaining vampires, catching them by surprise, Rachel makes her way over to the cage where the humans have been left tied up. She's seriously grossed out by the way they've been maltreated and they look like they're emaciated and starved, so she focuses on breaking the lock, jimmying it in just like Dean taught her to. She finally gets the lock free and she slips inside, quickly cutting through the knots with her pocket knife and removing the gags from the captives. The captives exhausted but relieved, help her out by untying one another and helping each other to their feet. Rachel tosses them a whole bunch of car keys that were left on the table by the vampires.

"Here you go," She says, cutting the ropes of the last tied up human free. "There's a whole bunch of cars they left parked outside and I saw some of them leave a few wallets and purses lying around, so there's some money for you. Leave quickly."

They shoot her looks of gratitude and she shyly smiles back. After all the things that she had done in her own life that she wasn't proud of, Rachel is still unused to accepting thanks from others.

"Thanks," One of the girls says softly and Rachel manages a 'you're welcome' before urging them to leave. Sam and Dean have efficiently killed most of the vampires, but Rachel catches one of them blocking the door, the entire group of human captives with their stolen car keys and bags halting and hesitating. They're unarmed and Rachel is the only one with a weapon.

"Hey!" She yells, getting the vampire's attention, and when he turns to look at her, she's quick with her machete and manages to wound it heavily even though she was aiming for a clean cut across its neck. As the vampire fumbles in pain, the humans dash for the open door. Rachel acts quickly, yanking the machete out and beheads the vampire in one fell stroke, the adrenalin rushing through her. It's not like she's a natural hunter like Dean is or even a very skilled one like Sam is, but she's had enough agility training through gymnastics and cheerleading to help her stay alive. Sam rushes up to her to see if she's okay, and she notices Dean beheading the last vampire.

"Did they get out?" He asks breathlessly. Rachel simply nods, and Sam gives a grin.

"Nice work, Rachel."

"Yeah, you too." She smiles back at him. Sam seemed very tense in the past couple of days, and it was good to see him looking relieved.

"All right, let's get out of here," Dean says, catching up to them and Rachel simply gives him a nod, telling him that she's managed to get all the humans out. He breathes a sigh of relief, and they all make their own speedy exit. John's taken a huge risk by drawing all the powerful vampires in the group to him by taking that female vampire hostage, and Rachel knows that they've got to get back to him as soon as possible.

Dean starts the Impala as she and Sam take their respective spots, and as they speed towards the pre-determined destination, Rachel hopes that they'll make it on time.

"He'll be fine, baby," She can't help but blurt out, seeing the way Dean's hands are gripping the steering wheel.

"I know," Dean muttered. "It doesn't mean I'm not going to worry though."

"We'll make it," Rachel reassured him, and without even hesitating, she puts a gentle hand on Dean's thigh as he drives, hoping that through this simple touch she can communicate her support. Dean glances down at her hand and gives her a soft smile, one of the few he's had in the past week. Rachel's been with Dean long enough to know what that soft smile means.

_I love you._

*

In the middle of a road several miles from where his sons and Rachel were cleaning out the vampire nest, John Winchester keeps an eye on the rear view mirror as he speeds to another destination in the opposite direction. He's done this many times before but he knows that even for an experienced hunter, this is very dangerous. These are the same vampires who killed Elkins, and now that he's got the vampire that is the alpha female in the group, he knows that he's made a very risky move by kidnapping her and the fact that he's sent Dean, Sam, and Rachel in the opposite direction to clean out the nest is one that's a calculated tactical manoeuvre. It also means that if anything happens, he wants them somewhere safe. John knows that he's very close to the Colt and at this stage, he's willing to take the gamble.

As he hears two cars speeding up behind him, John keeps his foot on the gas pedal until he turns the bend of the road, only to find several parked cars and a very angry Luther and his followers standing in the middle.

He reluctantly brings the car to a stop as Luther demands,

"Get out!"

"Name's Winchester," John drawls.

"Where are your friends?" Luther smirks, and the three vampires behind him, dressed like they actually belong in a country-western bar, try to look intimidating.

"Cleaning out your nest," John replies back with a straight face, but Luther refuses to take the bait.

"Where's Kate?"

"Here, sweetheart," John replies, and with a quick yank of his rope he has the semi-conscious female vampire out of the car, and with the instincts of a professional hunter, he has the knife to her neck.

"Kate, are you all right?" Luther asks, concern actually lacing his voice.

"Dead man's blood," She breathes out.

"You son of a..."

"I want the Colt," John demands. "Elkin's gone. We'll trade."

"Is that what it's all about?" Luther can't help but scoff. "You can't shoot us all. We'll kill you."

"Oh, I don't need it for you. I'm saving it for someone else." John smirks back. "Put the Colt down, or she goes first."

"All right," Luther agrees, taking the Colt out of its holster and laying it on the ground. "Just don't hurt her."

"Back up," John commands. "Further."

With his hands out, Luther complies. The second John bends down to pick up the gun, Kate digs her elbow into his side and the Colt slips from his grasp. Luther walks over, throwing John against the side of the car. Smiling triumphantly, the vampire walks closer for the kill when a crossbow bolt shoots through the air and lands squarely into one of Luther's lackeys.

As they turn to see where it came from, the Winchester brothers and Rachel come crashing through the bush, Sam moving faster and Dean right behind him, landing a bolt to another vampire. Rachel's right behind Dean, but she misses on her shot. Sam gets engaged in a fight first, grappling with one of Luther's lackeys while Luther goes for Rachel, tackling her to the ground, knocking her crossbow away from her.

"Put the blade down, or I'll twist her neck," Luther roughly drags Rachel up and she's struggling against him.

Dean realizes what's happened and his face is set in grim determination as he holds the machete. When Luther tightens his grip on Rachel and he can hear her gasping for breath, he puts the machete down.

"Babe, it'll be okay," He says, his usually low voice rough with worry and a tinge of fear. Rachel, for her part, is terrified but she knows that Dean will find a way to save her. She focuses on calming down and she sees Sam nearly able to throw his assailant off of him and even if Dean doesn't have the machete, she knows that he'll find some other way, but Luther's grip is tightening and she's starting to gasp for breath more frequently.

"You people," Luther spits out bitterly. "Why can't you leave us alone? We have as much right to live as you do."

"I don't think so," John Winchester's gravelly voice speaks, and as Luther turns around, John fires the Colt, aimed right at his forehead. Rachel feels as if time has stopped before the bullet hits its mark squarely and Luther's grip slackens. Rachel takes this moment to escape and before she knows it, Dean's caught her in his arms from behind and he's holding her for dear life and Rachel clings onto whatever part of him she can, breathing in the scent from his leather jacket and just thankful that she's alive.

"Luther!" Kate screams, helpless as Luther sinks to the ground slowly, as if the last light of whatever humanity he once had slowly blinks out and this vampire that's managed to live on its wits and assemble his own nest and followers finally ends his existence after controlling this part of the state for so long.

Kate growls something deep below her breath that sounds inhuman and slowly starts for John, but one of her lackeys holds her back.

"Kate- let's just go!" It takes two of her lackeys to drag her to one of the last getaway vehicles, and the last of the vampires speed away. Once their leader's gone, it'll be easier to pick them off one by one, but Dean is just glancing in shock at his dad, holding Rachel in his arms as if he can't believe that she's still here.

John gives a small satisfied nod, a tentative smile gracing his lips as Rachel raises her head above where she's buried it in Dean's shoulder and looks at him and finally sees John Winchester in a way that she's slowly beginning to understand Dean's devotion and love for his Dad.

Sam is right beside them as he exchanges glances with his brother and his Dad, silent but impressed.

Maybe, in the middle of this lonely highway in the dead of night, Rachel is beginning to find understanding and acceptance in this dark and complicated world of the Winchesters she now inhabits.

*

John comes back in unannounced as Sam is helping pack up their things and Dean is examining Rachel for the second time for any injuries she's had during the hunt.

"Dean, I'll be fine," Rachel tries to reassure him, holding onto her boyfriend's forearms and giving him a brave but real smile.

"I was so worried," Dean confesses and he gently kisses Rachel on the forehead and Rachel pulls him closer to her, the two of them locked in that embrace when John walks in. His gaze is no longer shocked or disappointed or even surprised, but the tiniest of smiles grazes his lips when he sees his older son and Rachel. The two certainly don't look like a one-night stand or a two week affair, rather, Dean and Rachel remind him of the marriage that he and Mary shared for many years, where they were linked body and soul.

"You all disobeyed direct orders," He gruffly coughs and Sam looks down at his feet mumbling a 'yes sir'.

"We also saved your ass," Dean looks up at his dad, pulling Rachel up to stand with him and Rachel has her arm around Dean's back with her right hand resting gently on his chest while Dean's arm remains around Rachel's waist.

"You also saved my life," She adds, her chestnut brown eyes looking back at John directly and her lips form into a genuine smile. "Thank you."

"I've been doing some thinking," John admits, stepping closer to his sons and Rachel. "You mentioned that we were stronger together as a family and we are."

He doesn't have these kinds of emotional heart-to-heart talks often, but tonight it finally feels like some of the burden he's been carrying with him for all these years is lifted off of his shoulders, and this way of living as if things were on hold, as if having a relationship with his sons was on hold until he was able to exact revenge on the very thing that had torn them apart, is finally starting to break its grip on him.

"We're going after this thing," He announces grimly. "It won't be pretty, but we'll be doing it together as a family."

He stretches out his right hand to Rachel, and her hand leaves Dean's chest as she takes it and gives it a reassuring grip that tells him that this girl is no pushover and although she doesn't look it, is tough as nails and he knows that Dean chose wisely.

"Yes sir," Sam says more resolutely and then laughs. "Yes Dad."

"Yes Dad", Dean's lower voice and Rachel's sweeter voice chime in at the same time as Dean has drawn Rachel back into his protective arms and John looks at both of his sons and the closest thing he has to a daughter-in-law, and he nods, satisfied at last.

*

_Author's Note: This concludes the first part of the 2 part story arc I have planned, but the adventures of John, Dean, Sam, and Rachel will be continued in the next cycle! Thanks to all loyal readers and reviewers- please continue to read and review like you do!_

_"Breaking from Abeyance" is one of the darker fics I have in this Rachel/Dean verse but I must say that I am satisfied with the way I've tried to deal with each character's emotions and background. Abeyance is a state I think that has trapped all of the Winchesters in parts of their past, certainly in the way they've dealt with their complicated family relationships with each other and certainly for Rachel in the way she's navigating through this newfound arrival with John as a 'father-in-law', and I've hoped that I've been able to show that in small ways, this can be broken over time.  
_


End file.
